Inflatable playpen for kids

ABSTRACT

An inflatable playpen for kids includes an inflatable body, which includes a top ring, a bottom ring, and a plurality of side posts. The side posts are arranged vertically between the top ring and the bottom ring. The top ring, the bottom ring, and the side posts are inflatable flexible tubes that are connected to and in communication with each other. The top ring, the bottom ring, and the side posts each have an outer surface covered or enclosed with an outer covering fabric layer. After inflation, a sufficient strength and elasticity can be provided to achieve excellent protection for children. When not in use, the playpen can be deflated to change the inflatable body back into a flattened condition that occupies a small space so that stowing and transportation are made easy.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a technical field associated withinflatable playpen, and more particular to an inflatable playpenfeatures inflatability and easy stowing and also for safety use bychildren.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For children or babies of young ages, they are incapable of properlycontrolling their limbs for activities. In an initial period of learningwalking, it is quite easy for them to fall and get hurt. When parents oradults are too busy to put an eye on these young children, it is acommon practice to build up or install a playpen or a barrier around anarea so that the children can be confined in the area to learn walkingor play in a safe and secured manner, eliminating potential risk ofgetting hurt.

Conventional playpens are generally made of wood or plastics. For awooden playpen, a child, when tipping or bumping the playpen, mightstill get hurt or injured. In addition, the wooden playpen may needfrequent disassembled and re-assembled and this is inconvenient for theparents. Thus, the wooden playpen is often kept in a completelyassembled condition and would occupy a large floor area and would alsobe inconvenient for moving among different locations. For a plasticplaypen, it is generally concerned about children biting the plasticmaterial that makes the playpen, as this is unhealthy and may causedamage of the playpen.

In view of the above problems, it is desired to provide an inflatableplaypen for kids, which could overcome the above-discussed drawbacks andprovides better industrial utilization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide aninflatable playpen for kids, which are formed of a plurality ofinflatable flexible tubes that are interconnected to form an inflatablebody, which, after inflation, is changed into a playpen configurationincluding a top ring, a bottom ring, and side posts vertically connectedbetween the top and bottom rings to provide a sufficient strength andelasticity to achieve excellent protection for young children or babies.In a condition of being not used, the playpen can be deflated, changingthe inflatable body back to a flatten condition, which occupies anextremely small space, allowing for easy stowing and transportation.This invention is useful both indoors and outdoors. In addition, the topand bottom rings and the side posts are each covered with an outercovering fabric layer, which helps prevent kids from directly biting orchewing the flexible tubes so that life span of the playpen and usesafety can both improved.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides aninflatable playpen for kids, which comprises: a top ring, a bottom ring,and a plurality of side posts, wherein the side posts are arrangedvertically between the top ring and the bottom ring; the top ring, thebottom ring, and the side posts are inflatable flexible tubes that areconnected to and in communication with each other; and the top ring, thebottom ring, and the side posts each have an outer surface covered orenclosed with an outer covering fabric layer.

The inflatable playpen described above may further comprises anauxiliary ring, which comprises an inflatable flexible tube having anouter surface covered or enclosed with an outer covering fabric layer.The auxiliary ring circumferentially surrounds an outer circumference ofthe bottom ring. The outer covering fabric layer that covers or enclosesthe auxiliary ring is connected with the outer covering fabric layerthat covers or encloses the bottom ring.

In the inflatable playpen described above, the auxiliary ring has a tubediameter that is greater than a tube diameter of the bottom ring.

The inflatable playpen described above may further comprise a pluralityof fixing strips, each of which has an end connected with the outercovering fabric layer that covers or encloses the auxiliary ring. Thefixing strips are arranged around a circumference of the auxiliary ringin an equally spaced manner. Each of the fixing strips has an oppositeend that is formed with a hole.

The inflatable playpen described above may further comprise a mat. Thebottom ring is arranged to circumferentially surround a circumferentialedge of the mat. The outer covering fabric layer that covers andencloses the bottom ring is connected with the edge of the mat.

In the inflatable playpen described above, the outer covering fabriclayers and an upper surface layer of the mat are each a piece of Oxfordcloth. A lower surface layer of the mat is made of a material comprisingthermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

In the inflatable playpen described above, a net is arranged between twoadjacent ones of the side posts. The net has two opposite side edgesrespectively connected with the outer covering fabric layers that coveror enclose the two side posts. The net has upper and lower edgesrespectively connected with the outer covering fabric layers that coveror enclose the top ring and the bottom ring.

In the inflatable playpen described above, the top ring, the bottomring, the side posts, and the auxiliary ring are each a flexible tube ofmade of a material comprising TPU or a material comprising polyvinylchloride (PVC).

In the inflatable playpen described above, the top ring, the bottomring, and the auxiliary ring are each of polygonal or circularconfiguration and are similar in shape to each other.

In the inflatable playpen described above, the side posts are arrangedin an angularly equally spaced manner and the top ring, the bottom ring,and the auxiliary ring are of square configurations, hexagonalconfigurations, or octagonal configurations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an inflatable playpen for kidsaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a top ring of theinflatable playpen for kids according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view illustrating the inflatable playpen for kidsaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Firstly, referring collectively to FIGS. 1-3, the present inventionprovides an inflatable playpen for kids, which comprises an inflatablebody 10, which comprises: a top ring 11, a bottom ring 12, and aplurality of side posts 13, wherein the side posts 13 are arrangedvertically between the top ring 11 and the bottom ring 12 and the topring 11, the bottom ring 12, and the side posts 13 are flexible tubesthat are connected to and in communication with each other and areinflatable through charging of fluid, such as air, into the tubes. Thetop ring 11, the bottom ring 12, and the side posts 13 are each coveredor enclosed with an outer covering fabric layer 111, 121, 131, as shownin FIG. 2, so that, for illustration only, after inflation, the outercovering fabric layer 111 is closely attached to an outer surface of thetop ring 11. Speaking in a clearer way, FIG. 2 provides just an example,in which the top ring 11 and the outer covering fabric layer 111 thereofare taken as an example of illustration and such a structuralarrangement is equally applicable to the bottom ring 12 and the sideposts 13 and the outer covering fabric layer 121, 131 thereof.

Specifically, the top ring 11 and the bottom ring 12 are each made up aplurality of inflatable flexible tubes that are sequentially connectedin an end to end manner to form an annular form. The side posts 13 areeach an inflatable flexible tube arranged vertically and connected toand in communication with the inflatable flexible tubes of the top ring11 and the inflatable flexible tubes of the bottom ring 12, so that thetop ring, the bottom ring, and the posts collectively form an internalchamber that extends through all the flexible tubes of them, wherein onesingle air valve 181 is necessarily mounted to one of the flexible tubesto enable inflation of the entire chamber or all the flexible tubes toform the playpen of the present invention in an inflated and expandedcondition.

In an embodiment, the present invention further comprises an auxiliaryring 14. The auxiliary ring 14 is made of an inflatable flexible tubethat is covered or enclosed with an outer covering fabric layer 141, sothat after inflation, the outer covering fabric layer 141 is closelyattached to an outer surface of the auxiliary ring 14, similar to theouter covering fabric layer 111 being attached to an outer surface ofthe top ring 11 illustrated in FIG. 2. The auxiliary ring 14 is providedwith an air valve 182 for inflation and/or deflation. The auxiliary ring14 is arranged to circumferentially surround an outer side of the bottomring 12 and the outer covering fabric layer 141 that covers or enclosesthe auxiliary ring 14 and the outer covering fabric layer 121 thatcovers or encloses the bottom ring 12 are connected to each other,wherein the connection can be achieved with sewing or adhesive bondingor the likes. Further, the auxiliary ring 14 is preferably of a tubediameter that is greater than a tube diameter of the bottom ring 12 inorder to prevent undesired tipping off the inflatable playpen by a childstanding close to or leaning against an edge area of the inflatableplaypen.

In an embodiment, the present invention further comprises a plurality offixing strips 15. The fixing strips 15 each have an end connected to theouter covering fabric layer 141 that covers or encloses the auxiliaryring 14. The fixing strips 15 are arranged around an outer circumferenceof the auxiliary ring 14 in an equally spaced manner. Each of the fixingstrips 15 has an opposite end in which a hole 151 is formed to receive afastening element (not shown) to extend through the hole 151 to securelyfix to a ground surface (such as fixing to a lawn ground), so that thisinvention is also useful outdoors, not being necessarily limited to useindoors.

In an embodiment, the present invention further comprises a mat 16 thatis arranged horizontally such that the bottom ring 12 surrounds acircumferential edge of the mat 16. The outer covering fabric layer 121that covers or encloses the bottom ring 12 may be connected to thecircumferential edge of the mat 16 for securely coupling together sothat when the present invention is raised, a child who is of an age of 1or 2 and thus has a light body weight can be raised together with theplaypen for moving to a different location, as the mat 16 may be strongenough to carry the body weight of the young child.

In the above embodiment, the outer covering fabric layers 111, 121, 131,141 and an upper surface layer of the mat 16 are each made of a piece ofOxford cloth, and a lower surface layer of the mat 16 is made of athermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material. A net 17 is provided betweenand mounted to two adjacent ones of the side posts 13 with two oppositeside edges of the net 17 connected with the outer covering fabric layers131 that cover or enclose the two side posts 13 and upper and loweredges of the net 17 connected with the outer covering fabric layers 111,121 that cover or enclose the top ring 11 and the bottom ring 12.

Finally, in the above embodiment, the top ring 11, the bottom ring 12,the side posts 13, and the auxiliary ring 14 are each a flexible tubemade of a TPU material or a flexible tube made of a polyvinyl chloride(PVC) material. The top ring 11, the bottom ring 12, and the auxiliaryring 14 are each structured in a polygonal configuration or a circularconfiguration and are similar or identical in shape to each other. Thepolygonal configuration may include a square configuration, a hexagonalconfiguration (as shown in FIG. 3) or an octagonal configuration. Theside posts 13 are arranged in an angularly equally spaced manner.Preferably, in case that the top ring 11, the bottom ring 12, and theauxiliary ring 14 are of polygonal configurations, the side posts 13 arerespectively set up at vertices of the polygons.

The present invention provides an inflatable playpen for young childrenand babies, in which a plurality of inflatable flexible tubes areconnected to and in communication with each other to form a unitaryinflatable body and, after being inflated, respectively form a top ring,a bottom ring, and side posts vertically connected between the top andbottom rings to provide a configuration of playpen, which after beinginflated, provides sufficient strength and elasticity to achieveexcellent protection for young children or babies. In a condition ofbeing not used, the playpen can be deflated, changing the inflatablebody back to a flatten condition, which occupies an extremely smallspace, allowing for easy stowing and transportation. This invention isuseful both indoors and outdoors. In addition, the top and bottom ringsand the side posts are each covered with an outer covering fabric layer,which helps prevent kids from directly biting or chewing the flexibletubes so that life span of the playpen and use safety can both improved.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inflatable playpen for kids, comprising aninflatable body, which comprises: a top ring, a bottom ring, and aplurality of side posts, wherein the side posts are arranged verticallybetween the top ring and the bottom ring, the top ring, the bottom ring,and the side posts being inflatable flexible tubes that are connected toand in communication with each other, the top ring, the bottom ring, andthe side posts each having an outer surface covered or enclosed with anouter covering fabric layer.
 2. The inflatable playpen according toclaim 1, further comprising an auxiliary ring, which comprises aninflatable flexible tube having an outer surface covered or enclosedwith an outer covering fabric layer, the auxiliary ringcircumferentially surrounding an outer circumference of the bottom ring,the outer covering fabric layer that covers or encloses the auxiliaryring being connected with the outer covering fabric layer that covers orencloses the bottom ring.
 3. The inflatable playpen according to claim2, wherein the auxiliary ring has a tube diameter that is greater than atube diameter of the bottom ring.
 4. The inflatable playpen according toclaim 2, further comprising a plurality of fixing strips, each of whichhas an end connected with the outer covering fabric layer that covers orencloses the auxiliary ring, the fixing strips being arranged around acircumference of the auxiliary ring in an equally spaced manner, each ofthe fixing strips having an opposite end that is formed with a hole. 5.The inflatable playpen according to claim 1, further comprising a mat,the bottom ring being arranged to circumferentially surround acircumferential edge of the mat, the outer covering fabric layer thatcovers and encloses the bottom ring being connected with the edge of themat.
 6. The inflatable playpen according to claim 5, wherein the outercovering fabric layers and an upper surface layer of the mat are each apiece of Oxford cloth, a lower surface layer of the mat being made of amaterial comprising thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).
 7. The inflatableplaypen according to claim 5, wherein a net is arranged between twoadjacent ones of the side posts, the net having two opposite side edgesrespectively connected with the outer covering fabric layers that coveror enclose the two side posts, the net having upper and lower edgesrespectively connected with the outer covering fabric layers that coveror enclose the top ring and the bottom ring.
 8. The inflatable playpenaccording to claim 2, wherein the top ring, the bottom ring, the sideposts, and the auxiliary ring are each a flexible tube of made of amaterial comprising TPU or a material comprising polyvinyl chloride(PVC).
 9. The inflatable playpen according to claim 2, wherein the topring, the bottom ring, and the auxiliary ring are each of polygonal orcircular configuration and are similar in shape to each other.
 10. Theinflatable playpen according to claim 9, wherein the side posts arearranged in an angularly equally spaced manner and the top ring, thebottom ring, and the auxiliary ring are of square configurations,hexagonal configurations, or octagonal configurations.
 11. Theinflatable playpen according to claim 2, wherein the top ring, thebottom ring, and the auxiliary ring are of identical circularconfigurations.
 12. The inflatable playpen according to claim 11,wherein the side posts are arranged in an angularly equally spacedmanner.